# donor

/ˈdoʊnɝ/ (US) · /dˈəʊnɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/donor
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. charity or blood

noun · CEFR B2

a person or organisation that gives money, food, or clothes to help others, or someone who gives blood or an organ to a hospital.

For teachers: an individual or entity that contributes money, goods, or biological material (such as blood or organs) to a recipient or institution.

- The charity thanked every donor who gave money to the new school project.
- The hospital launched an urgent appeal for blood donors to ensure they had enough supplies for the upcoming holiday weekend.

### 2. chemistry

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a molecule or group of atoms that gives a part of itself to another during a chemical reaction.

For teachers: an atom, molecule, or ion that provides a particle (such as an electron or proton) to an acceptor during a chemical process.

- In this reaction, the first molecule acts as the electron donor.
- The efficiency of the solar cell depends on how effectively the electron donor transfers its charge to the acceptor material.

### 3. for spare parts

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal

an old machine or car used to provide parts to fix a better one.

For teachers: an object, often a vehicle or electronic device, that is sacrificed to provide functional components for the repair of another unit.

- He bought a cheap donor car just to get the engine for his project.
- The technician kept several broken laptops in the back room to serve as donors for screens and keyboards.

## Examples

- The hospital needs more blood donors.
- An anonymous donor gave one million dollars to the local library to fund the new children's wing.
- The success of the organ transplant depends heavily on the compatibility between the donor and the recipient to prevent the immune system from rejecting the new tissue.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.